Mobile networks enable enormous quantities of wireless communications between many different types of mobile devices, and provide various types of services. Typically, the mobile networks are provided (e.g., owned, or leased) by mobile service providers, also known as carriers, mobile network operators (MNOs), or just as service providers, each of which maintains a number of subscribers. The subscribers of a given service provider have corresponding fee arrangements with their respective service provider, and, in return, are provided with access to the mobile network (and associated network resources) of the service provider, along with, e.g., various associated features, services, and devices provided by the service provider.
From a business perspective, then, the various service providers are in competition with one another, and seek, e.g., to increase their subscribers base (including winning subscribers from another service provider), provide value in the way of available services, service reliability, or service availability, or otherwise to increase profitability and competitive advantage. Nonetheless, for various technical, governmental, and/or business reasons, it is often necessary for the various service providers to cooperate with one another to some extent. For example, virtually all service providers have agreed to certain technical standards for implementing wireless communications, where such standards are typically updated or changed over time in a generally cooperative manner.
In related examples, a given service provider may provide mobile network resources in certain geographical areas, while another service provider provides mobile network resources in other geographical areas. Subscribers of both service providers will typically wish to have an option of using their subscription services (e.g., being able to make a telephone call, or access the Internet), even when travelling in the geographical area of the competing service provider. Therefore, it is to the advantage of each service provider to agree with the other to provide services to visiting subscribers. Such scenarios are generally known as roaming scenarios, i.e., the visiting subscribers are considered to be roaming outside of their home network, and within a geographical or other domain of a visited network.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult to enable desired communications between a visited network and a subscriber's home network in an efficient, scalable, cost-effective manner. For example, even though various technical standards have been developed to enable mobile communications, and even to enable inter-provider communications including basic roaming scenarios, it remains difficult to enable roaming scenarios in a way that facilitates subscriber desires, enhances service provider profitability and reputation, and minimizes resources of the various individual service providers during implementation of the roaming scenarios. In particular, although standard roaming protocols have been defined for enabling certain roaming scenarios, a given service provider may implement or extend a standard roaming protocol in a way that is not consistent with, or contemplated by, the base or existing version thereof.
In other words, provider-specific implementations or extensions of otherwise standard roaming protocols may be used that, while acceptable within a domain of the provider in question, may trigger an error or other malfunction when communicating with a mobile network of a different service provider during a roaming scenario. As a result, for example, roaming subscribers may be deprived of various services. Moreover, service providers may find it difficult to deploy and balance network resources efficiently, and/or may not have the knowledge or ability to invoice subscribers for services provided in roaming scenarios. Thus, service providers may suffer from decreased subscriber satisfaction and/or lost opportunities for profit.